Quick Fix for Brown Pool Water

J. Lang Wood

Having a swimming pool makes for hours of family fun, but swimming-pool maintenance can become a chore when water problems spoil the day. Problems such as green algae, black algae, green or brown water, and cloudiness are fixed by the use of pool-cleaning products. Brown water occurs frequently when well water is used to fill the swimming pool, according to the PoolCenter website. Well water is often high in iron, which can cause the water to turn brown. Brown pool water can also be caused by too much alkalinity in the water, which corrodes metal parts.

Step 1

Test your pool water's pH with a swimming-pool water pH kit to see if it is out of balance.

Step 2

Add a sequestering agent (also called a chelator) recommended by your pool manufacturer according to label instructions. Sequestering agents help to keep minerals in solution so that they are filtered out as water moves through the pool filter.

Step 3

Add a flocculant according to label instructions to remove any remaining brown color from the water. Flocculants bind particles together, which then precipitate out of solution to the bottom of the pool.

Step 4

Vacuum brown particles from the bottom of the pool.

Step 5

Adjust the pH of the pool water. Chemical treatment can disrupt the pH balance of water, so you must re-test after adding chemicals. Keep the pH of your pool between 7.2 and 7.8. Use sodium carbonate to raise the number, that is, to increase the alkalinity. Use muriatic acid to lower the number, that is, to make the water more acidic.

Step 6

Run the pool filter for at least 12 hours.

Step 7

Turn off the power to the pool filter. Remove the cartridge filter and rinse to remove iron particles.